Device for collecting and palletizing bottles

ABSTRACT

A process and a device for collecting and palletizing bottles  3  is provided, especially empty plastic bottles, which are fed from a bottle producer  36  or a bottle conveyor  8  in one or more rows one behind the other to a collecting device  4 . They are transferred there to one or more intermediate carriers  6 , forming bottle layers  25 , wherein the loaded intermediate carriers  6  are subsequently conveyed to a palletizing device  7 . The intermediate carriers  6  move in a circle in the collecting and palletizing unit  2  and can also be transferred into a storage facility  7  for intermediate storage.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.09/402,606 filed Oct. 22, 1999.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The present invention pertains to a process and a device forcollecting empty bottles, especially plastic bottles, and forpalletizing the bottles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] EP-0 659 664 A1 shows such a collecting and palletizing devicefor empty plastic bottles. It comprises a palletizing device, acollecting device arranged upstream of it, and a conveying devicearranged between them. The collecting device is connected to a bottleconveyor and is used to transfer the bottles fed in a single row by thebottle conveyor and to arrange them in layers. The collecting device hasa circulating rolling belt onto which the bottles are pushed via afunnel-like expansion of the bottle conveyor, wherein the bottles arepiled up and are positioned in transverse rows, closing the gaps. Thebottles on the rolling belt are pushed by means of profiled pushers tospacers provided on the palletizing unit and are stacked up in layersone after the other by means of an elevator. This collection andpalletizing technique is suitable for heavy and stable bottles. Incontrast, it cannot be used with sufficient reliability for lightweightplastic bottles, especially so-called PET bottles. These types of bottleare difficult to handle because of their low weight, the electrostaticcharge and the high rate of feed by the bottle conveyor.

[0004] A similar collecting and palletizing device is also shown in WO97/11898. The collecting device has a sorting unit here, which joins atwo-armed bottle conveyor and comprises a circulating conveyor belt anda plurality of rigid row supports for the bottles. The bottles fed inobliquely by the bottle conveyor move into the row supports one afterthe other and at the end, forming bottle layers, they enter a pusher,which pushes them off onto a conveyor belt, on which they are moved tothe palletizing device with a lifting table.

[0005] Furthermore, the conveying of PET bottles by means of pneumaticconveyors has been known in practice. These conveyors have a verycomplicated design, require much space and are expensive. In addition,considerable problems arise in terms of hygiene.

[0006] A filling unit, in which bottles are cleaned, filled with syrupor finished beverages, subsequently closed with caps and then palletizedat the end, has been known from EP-0 291 674 A1. Before palletization,the individual bottles are packed in usual bottle carriers. These areeither cardboard boxes or plastic carriers. The filled bottles are thenconveyed with this packaging to the palletizing device. The packing ofthe bottles takes place only after the passage through the filling unit.The bottles can be rotated within the filling unit.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The primary object of the present invention is to show apossibility for the operationally reliable handling of even thesecritical types of bottle.

[0008] According to the invention a process is provided for collectingempty bottles, particularly plastic bottles, for palletizing thebottles. The empty bottles are fed in from a bottle producer or a bottleconveyor in one or more rows. The bottles are taken over with at leastone upstream collecting device and are later fed to a palletizing deviceand are palletized there. The empty bottles fed in are transferred atthe collecting device onto to one or more intermediate carriers. Thecarriers form bottles layers. The intermediate carrier with the bottlesis subsequently conveyed to the palletizing device.

[0009] According to another aspect of the invention, a device isprovided for collecting the empty bottles, particularly plastic bottlesand for palletizing the bottles. The device has at least one palletizingdevice with at least one upstream collecting device for taking over theempty bottles being fed in one or more rows from a bottle producer orfrom a bottle conveyor. A conveying means is arranged between thepalletizing and the collecting device. The collecting device has atleast one transfer unit and one or more intermediate carriers conveyablewith the conveying means for taking up the empty bottles in layers.

[0010] The transfer of the bottles onto a conveyable intermediatecarrier offers a higher reliability of operation compared with the stateof the art and makes possible a plurality of functional variants. Thisis especially true in regard to the capacity of the plant, which can beincreased, storage possibilities and various internal and externalcarrier circulations. It is particularly advantageous here that theintermediate carrier can stop during the transfer process, which ensureshigh accuracy of deposition and positioning. The formation of layers onthe intermediate carrier makes it possible to commission the bottlesaccording to the pallets and to reach a high palletizing capacity.

[0011] For high plant capacity, it is recommended that the collectingdevice be equipped with a plurality of intermediate carriers and thatthese be moved to and fro between the transfer unit and the palletizingdevice in parallel or in circulation. As a result, the transfer unit hasno interruptions because of the conveying of the intermediate carriers.It is also favorable to arrange two or more bottle layers correspondingto the pallet size. As a result, the performance capacity is increasedfurther and, in addition, a buffering possibility is created forpossible disturbances in operation.

[0012] The present invention ensures, preferably by an essentiallycontinuous guiding of the bottles from the row support at the bottleconveyor to the palletizing device, that the bottles will always be in asecured position and can also be accurately positioned. The bottlescannot fall over any more and they cannot cause disturbances inoperation. In particular, the device according to the present inventionis also able to take up bottles, to transfer them, to arrange them inlayers, and to feed the palletizing device on the intermediate carrierat very high feed rates. The device according to the present inventionhas a very high performance capacity as a result.

[0013] It is particularly advantageous that the closing of the row ofbottles being fed at laterally spaced locations is also performed with ahigh reliability. The closing of the row is performed during thetransfer within the gripping means by laterally adjustable row grippers.The bottles can then be ultimately arranged in the bottle layer formedon the intermediate carrier in a closely packed arrangement suitable forthe ultimate palletization. The device according to the presentinvention can also be set and changed over for different bottle formatswith relatively little effort.

[0014] During the transfer or transposition of the rows of bottles,intermediate storage or buffering may be performed by means of a pilingtable or the like. However, it is also possible to load the grippingmeans of the transfer unit directly at the bottle conveyors or in thebottle producer and to push the bottles directly into the bottlegrippers. This makes possible a very rapid transfer and the very rapidformation of bottle layers.

[0015] Railing-like bottle guides, which are adjustable in width, ensurethe optimal lateral guiding in the row support. In addition, axialguiding can be brought about in the row supports by means of movablestops driven in a controlled manner, so that the bottles taken overcannot fall over in any direction. The rows can be shifted axially inrelation to one another by means of a suitable offset of the stops suchthat they are arranged with the rows offset so as to fill the gaps inrelation to one another and can be packed with maximum density in thebottle layer.

[0016] The preferred embodiment of the bottle guide at the intermediatecarrier makes it possible to arrange the bottles tightly next to oneanother and yet to make possible a lateral guiding. This guiding alsofacilitates the insertion of the rows of bottles on the intermediatecarrier and the takeup of the bottle layer on the palletizing device.

[0017] The arrangement of a collecting device in the immediate vicinityof a bottle producer makes it possible to eliminate the need forcomplicated, large pneumatic conveyors with their large spacerequirement and to make do with short discharge conveyors. As a result,the bottles being produced are taken up very rapidly, transferred anddeposited on one or more movable intermediate carriers for furtherhandling.

[0018] An individual bottle producer is preferably associated with anindividual collecting device each with a capacity coordinated with thebottle production. More collecting devices are correspondingly providedfor plants of a higher capacity with a plurality of bottle producers orblowing units. The fault and failure liability during the direct loadingof the intermediate carriers at the bottle producer is most extensivelyminimized in the case of the design according to the present invention.This increases the operational reliability of the entire plant. Thequestion of capacity can be solved by jointly connecting the collectingdevices to a common conveying means and especially by arranging anintermediate storage facility for the empty and/or loaded intermediatecarriers. This makes it possible to use especially a central palletizingunit for the entire plant and to further reduce the risk of failure. Theintermediate storage facility equalizes the different throughputs of thebottle producers and the central palletizing device, on the one hand,and may also be used as a buffer in the case of the failure ordisturbance of individual components of the plant, on the other hand.First of all, the bottle produced is uncoupled from any disturbingeffects from the area of the palletizing device or the conveying system.The collecting and palletizing device according to the present inventionmay be expanded into larger bottle handling plants, in which theindividual devices may overlap and complement one another. The numberand the assignment of the individual components, the collecting deviceand the palletizing device, can also be adapted in a suitable manner.

[0019] The collecting and palletizing device according to the presentinvention requires relatively little design and control engineeringefforts despite a high level of reliability. It also has a small spacerequirement and can be expanded as desired in the above-mentionedmanner. Existing plants can also be retrofitted with it. The collectingand palletizing device according to the present invention is not boundto certain bottle materials or formats, but it can be used for anybottles. Furthermore, it does not require a specially trained operatingpersonnel.

[0020] In the preferred embodiment, the intermediate carriers circulatewithin the bottle handling system and are used to convey the emptybottles layer by layer between the bottle producer and the palletizingdevice. Moreover, the intermediate carrier may, however, also circulatein a larger circulation by acting as part of the pallet itself andreaching, together with the empty bottles, first the filling plant andfarther from there optionally also the customer via the commercialconnections. They may optionally also be returned from the customersinto the bottle handling system. This form of intermediate carriers witha preferably permanent bottle guiding in the entire circulationfacilitates the different bottle handling processes and simplifies theconstruction efforts and the machinery at the bottle producer, fillerand in logistics.

[0021] The various features of novelty which characterize the inventionare pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forminga part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses,reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter inwhich preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In the drawings:

[0023]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the plant showing a bottlehandling system with a plurality of collecting and palletizing units;

[0024]FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed schematic diagram of a collectingand palletizing unit according to FIG. 1;

[0025]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a variant of the bottlehandling system from FIGS. 1 and 2 with a collecting and palletizingunit at a blowing machine;

[0026]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the collecting device of acollecting and palletizing device;

[0027]FIG. 5 is a top view of a variant of the collecting deviceaccording to FIG. 4; and

[0028]FIG. 6 is an enlarged top view of another variant for FIGS. 4 and5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0029] In schematic diagrams, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show a bottle handlingsystem 1, which contains one or more collecting and palletizing units 2.The collecting and palletizing unit 2 comprises a collecting device 4and a palletizing device 7 each. The collecting devices 4 in turn haveone or more transfer units 5 and one or more movable or conveyableintermediate carriers 6, which connect the collecting device 4 to thecorresponding palletizing device 7.

[0030] The collecting and palletizing unit 2 takes up the bottles 3being fed in in one or more rows or lines 9 from a bottle producer 36(not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) via one or more bottle conveyors 8,collects them in bottle layers 25 and stacks these up in multilayerpallets 35. One or more packaging devices 33 along with dischargestations 34 may join the palletizing device 7 on the outlet side.

[0031] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the bottle handling system 1has, e.g., three collecting and palletizing units 2, which are arrangedin series next to one another. Broken lines indicate the boundaries ofthe units. FIG. 2 shows the middle collecting and palletizing unit 2 ona larger scale.

[0032] The middle unit 2 is joined by two bottle conveyors 8 and the twoouter units 2 are joined by a bottle conveyor 8 each. The bottleconveyors 8 are preferably designed as pneumatic conveyors in FIGS. 1and 2. These have a slotted air flow duct, in which the bottles 3 areguided hanging by the said neck or collar and are driven forward by airflow shooting along in the duct. The bottles 3 move in the bottleconveyor 8 at a very high rate of, e.g., 10 bottles per second. To makeit nevertheless possible to handle the bottles 3, each bottle conveyor 8is gradually divided into a plurality of lines 9 via switches. Forexample, four such lines 9 open in parallel next to one another into thecollecting and palletizing units.

[0033] The bottle producer 36 comprises, e.g., one or more blowingmachines for plastic bottles. It is arranged at a greater distance fromthe collecting and palletizing unit 2 in the exemplary embodimentaccording to FIGS. 1 and 2, as a result of which the bottle conveyors 8have a correspondingly great length and are preferably designed for thispurpose as pneumatic conveyors in the above-mentioned manner.

[0034] In the variant according to FIG. 3, the bottle producer 36 is inthe immediate vicinity of the collecting and palletizing unit 2. Thebottle conveyors 8 are preferably designed here as short and straightconveyors, which transfer the bottles 3 produced and continuouslydischarged by the bottle producer 36 to the collecting device 4 with thetransfer unit 5 in, e.g., two rows or lines. Branchings into more thantwo lines 9 may also be present before or at the transfer point. Thebottle conveyor or conveyors 8 may have any desired, suitable design.They may be, e.g., short pneumatic conveyors. However, they may alsohave any other desired, suitable design. The bottle conveyors 8 maypreferably have a suitable and preferably small piling section or buffersection for transferring the bottles 3 being fed in continuously in rowsone behind the other to the intermittently operating transfer unit 5. Ina modified embodiment, the bottle producer 36 may also transfer itsbottles 3 directly to the transfer unit 5.

[0035]FIG. 3 also shows that the collecting and palletizing unit 2 mayalso have an intermediate storage facility 37, which is arranged betweenthe collecting device 4 and the palletizing device 7. A conveying means24, which preferably operates in circulation and has a feed branch 41and a return branch 42, is provided for the conveying of theindividually movable intermediate carriers 6. The conveying means 24connects the collecting device 4 to the palletizing device 7. Inaddition, the intermediate storage facility 37 also joins the conveyingmeans 24 and preferably its feed branch 41.

[0036] The intermediate storage facility 37 may have any desirable,suitable design, e.g., it may be designed as a high-shelf storage area.It may have one or more storage rows correspondingly with one or moresuitable high-bay storage and retrieval units 40. The individual storageareas have an input 38 and an output 39 for the loaded intermediatecarriers 6, both of them preferably joining the freed branch 41. Thehigh-bay storage and retrieval unit 40 takes then over the intermediatecarriers 6 within the shelf from the input and stores them in thestorage positions provided. Conversely, the high-bay storage andretrieval unit 40 delivers the intermediate carriers 6 via the output39. They reach the palletizing device 7 directly via the feed branch 41.On the return branch 42, the unloaded and empty intermediate carriers 6are again fed from the palletizing device 7 to the collecting device 4with the transfer unit 5. The return branch 42 may have a pilingsection. However, the return branch 42 may also be joined by a separatestorage facility for buffering the intermediate carriers 6. This carrierstorage facility is not shown for clarity's sake.

[0037] The feed branch 41 and the return branch 42 are preferablydesigned as straight conveying rows. They may be conveyor belts, rollerconveyors or other suitable conveying means. The transfer of theintermediate carriers 6 takes place at the end points via correspondingcross belts. At the end-side cross belt, the palletizing device 7 takesover the bottle layers 25 from the intermediate carriers 6, so that theempty intermediate carriers 6 can then move back onto the return branch42. At the front end, the cross belt is located in the area of thecollecting device 4 and of the transfer unit 5. As a result, completelyloaded intermediate carriers 6 can be delivered very rapidly to the feedbranch 41 without interruption in time and without interruption of thecycle and new, empty intermediate carriers 6 can be brought into theloading position. As a result, the next, empty intermediate carrier 6can also already be loaded at the collecting device 4 during theconveying and during the unloading at the palletizing device 7.

[0038]FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 show a variant for the intermediate carriers 6and the conveying means 24. In the embodiment shown, it is a shuttle,which performs straightforward and reverse movements and moves theintermediate carriers 6 to and fro on a straight path from their takeupposition at the collecting device 4 to the transfer position at thepalletizing device 7.

[0039] Another variant is shown in the embodiment according to FIG. 1.For example, one intermediate carrier 6 each with shuttles 24, whichoperate staggered in time, are arranged in parallel next to one anotherat the two outer collecting devices 4 here. This also makes possible anoverlap of the cycle times during the loading and unloading as well asduring the conveying of the intermediate carriers 6. The direction ofconveying of the intermediate carriers 6 is along the rows 14 of bottlesand at right angles to the cross arms 20 in the preferred embodiment.

[0040]FIG. 1 also shows collecting devices 4 of different capacities.The two outer collecting devices 4 are designed for a high capacity of,e.g., 100,000 bottles per hour, and they have correspondingly high-speedtransfer units 5 for this purpose. The middle collecting device 4 has alower capacity and slower transfer units 5. However, the collectingdevice 4 may have two transfer units 5 with an intermediate carrier 6each along with a conveying means 24 for compensation and for spacereasons, with a bottle conveyor 8 being associated with each transferunit 5 in the above-described manner. The transfer units 5 may have aseparate cross arm 20 each or a common cross arm 20.

[0041] The bottles 3 preferably consist of plastic, especially PETplastic. These so-called PET bottles are thin-walled and have lowweight. On their neck, they have a circular and laterally projectingcollar, by which they can be grasped and guided, hanging, by the bottleconveyors 8. These bottles usually have a central indentation at thebottom and a plurality of upwardly extending notches at the surroundingedge, so that the base is formed by five contact points distributedaround the central axis of the bottle. The diameter of the base issmaller than the external diameter of the bottles, so that the PETbottles have a certain liability. The bottles 3 may also become chargedelectrostatically and mutually repel one another as a result. Due to thelow stability and the low weight, the bottles 3 are sensitive tomechanical shocks, air flows, etc., and tend to fall over.

[0042]FIG. 4 shows the opening or end area 10 of the bottle conveyor 8at the collecting device 4. The bottles 3 arrive here row by row in rowsor lines one behind the other and are stopped by controllable closures(not shown) at the end of the conveyor 8. A piling or discharge section,in which, e.g., the conveying air is also blown off, is located in thisarea. The bottles 3 located in the end area 10 are driven forward frombehind by the bottles moving behind them. FIG. 4 also shows how thebottles 3 are hanging by their necks in the conveying channels.

[0043]FIG. 4 shows specifically an embodiment of the collecting device 4The embodiment corresponds to FIGS. 1 and 2, but it may also be used ina unit according to FIG. 3. The collecting device 4 comprises at leastone row support 12 and at least one transfer unit 5 each and preferablya plurality of intermediate carriers 6. The collecting device 4 has aplurality of positive-locking bottle guides 13, 18, 21. As a result, thebottles 3 are taken over from the bottle conveyor 8 row by row,transferred onto the intermediate carrier 6, grouped to form a bottlelayer 25, and then fed to the palletizing device 7, while the bottles 3are preferably being guided essentially upright such that they cannotfall over and can move in a limited and controlled manner only. Theintermediate carrier 6 is stopped during the transfer and loadingprocess.

[0044] The row support 12 joins the end area 10 of the bottle conveyor8. The row support 12 has a, e.g., stationary piling table with aplurality of support aisles and railing-like bottle guides 13, whichextend in a corresponding number and in extension of the end areas 10 ofthe bottle conveyor 8 and laterally guide the bottles 3 taken over fromthe bottle conveyor 8. The railings 13 have adjustable width and can beadapted to different bottle formats. In addition, they can be laterallydisplaced in order to adjust their number and arrangement in relation tothe bottle conveyor 8. At the conveyor-side ends, the railings 13 mayhave oblique guide surfaces for the bottles 3 to slide on and be guided.

[0045] The bottles 3 may slide along on the piling table 12 in theupright position. As an alternative, the piling table 12 may also have aconveyor belt or the like, which moves in the direction of conveying ofthe bottles 3, instead of the stationary base. To take up the bottles 3,the closures of the end areas 10 are cyclically opened, so that the rows14 of bottles being held there can be pushed onto the piling table 12.As soon as the predetermined length of the row has been reached, theclosures of the end areas 10 close again, so that the next batch ofbottles can pile up.

[0046] The row support 12 has at least one stop 15 each in the area ofthe bottle guides 13. In the simplest embodiment, the stops 15 may bearranged stationarily. They are now periodically offset axially from onerow to the next, and the amount of the offset preferably equals half ofthe bottle diameter. As a result, the adjacent rows 14 of bottles arearranged offset in relation to one another such that gaps are closed andthe tightest possible packing of bottles is formed in the bottle layer25 to be formed later.

[0047] In addition, the stops 15 are axially movable in the embodimentshown and have a controlled drive 16 for this purpose, which isarranged, e.g., on an extension of the table or under the piling table1). During the takeover of a new load of bottles, the stops 1) arepositioned directly in front of the end area 10 of the bottle conveyor).As soon as the closures of the end area 10 open and push out the bottles3, the stops 15 draw back in a controlled manner and offer an axialguiding for the bottles 3 taken up as a result. As a result, the bottles3 cannot be knocked over during takeup. On the whole, the bottles 3 areguided all around on four sides in a positive-locking manner during thetakeup, and the guiding in the rear is performed by the next bottle 3following in the row.

[0048] After the takeover, the rows 14 of bottles are ready on the rowsupport 12 for the transfer unit 5. The transfer unit 5 is preferablydesigned as a biaxial or multiaxial robot 11 with freely controllableand programmable axes and has a portal-like cross arm 20, which extendsat right angles to the rows 14 of bottles and at which one or moregripping means 17 can move to and fro and lift over or transfer the rows14 of bottles onto the intermediate carrier 6 kept ready on the feedbranch 41.

[0049] The gripping means 17 is designed as a multiaxially movablegripping head. It has a plurality of row grippers 18, which grasp therows 14 of bottles in the row support 12 in a suitable manner in thehead area, hold them and release them on the intermediate carrier 6. Therow grippers 18 comprise, e.g., long gripping channels with lateralgripping arms, which grasp the bottles under their necks and hold themin a positive-locking manner as a result.

[0050] The row grippers 18 may have one or more adjusting means 19. Inthe embodiment shown, the adjusting means 19 permits a lateral movementof the row grippers 18, as a result of which the rows 14 of bottles canmove up closer to one another after the takeup. In the end area 10 andin the row support 12, the rows 14 of bottles are spaced somewhat morewidely from one another because of adjustment to the format and forother design reasons. This lateral distance is greater than the distancedesired in the bottle layer 25. Due to the lateral movement of the rowgrippers 18, the rows 14 of bottles can be guided in closely spacedlocations from one another and they may even be brought into contactwith one another corresponding to the desired packing density. Theadjusting means 19 has a suitable drive along with a freely programmablecontrol for this purpose.

[0051] The rows 14 of bottles and the intermediate carrier 6 have thesame length in the exemplary embodiment shown. To fill the intermediatecarrier 6, the rows 14 of bottles are placed next to one another, andthe gripping means 17 moves repeatedly to and fro. The bottle layer 25formed on the intermediate carrier 6 in this embodiment shown is aslarge as the bottom of the pallet.

[0052] In a variant of the embodiment shown, an intermediate carrier 6may also have overlength and take up two or more bottle layers 25. As aresult, two or more rows 14 of bottles must be correspondingly arrangedone behind the other on the intermediate carrier 6. The adjusting means(19) may have additional mobility in the longitudinal direction of therow for this purpose and have, e.g., a telescoping means for this forextending the row grippers 18 (not shown). In addition, the adjustingmeans 19 performs the lifting and lowering movements of the row grippers18 necessary for the transfer. The row grippers 18 form the bottle guideduring the transfer process.

[0053] A bottle guide 21 is also present on the intermediate carrier 6,which is preferably trough-shaped. It comprises, e.g., a frame, in whichthe bottles 3 are guided upright and all around in a positive-lockingmanner, similarly as in the row support 12. In the embodiment shown, theintermediate carrier 6 has for this purpose a carrier edge 22, whichimitates the contour of the bottle and which also takes into account theoffset of the rows by means of corresponding projections. A plurality ofupright guide pins 23, which extend between four adjacent bottles 3each, are arranged in the inner area of the intermediate carrier 6. Thecarrier edge 22 and the guide pins 23 may have slide-on bevels foreasier introduction and insertion of the bottles 3. As an alternative,the bottle guides 21 may also be formed in any other manner, e.g., byshelf webs or the like.

[0054] The palletizing device 7 may also have different designs. Theindividual palletizing device 7 has one or more palletizing stations 26,on which the bottle layers 25 are stacked up on a pallet bottom oneafter another to form a complete pallet 35. The palletizing station 26is arranged on the side next to the end position of the intermediatecarrier 6 and the conveying means 24. One or more insert stacks 27, 28,29 may join in a row on the other side. These stacks contain the palletbottoms and the spacers and covers, which are needed for building up thebottle layers 25 and will hereinafter be called palletizing inserts. Thespacers and covers are, e.g., cardboard or other suitable, flatmaterials, which are placed between the bottle layers 25.

[0055] The palletizing device 7 has at least one gripping means 30, 31for transferring the bottle layers 25 from the intermediate carrier 6onto the palletizing station 26 and for taking in and inserting thepalletizing inserts from the stacks 27, 28, 29. Separate gripping means30, 31 are present in the preferred embodiment in order to increase theperformance. The palletizing device 7 is preferably likewise designed asa linear multiaxial robot 11, which has a cross arm 20 extending atright angles to the rows of bottles for displacing the gripping means30, 31. The gripping means 30, 31 have suitable gripping heads, whichcan be at least raised and lowered and possibly have additional axes ofmovements.

[0056] The gripping means 31 is designed as a bottle gripper, whichpreferably grasps the entire bottle layer 25 and transfers it in onestroke onto the palletizing station 26. The gripping means 31 may havean additional axial adjustability in the form of a telescopicarrangement or the like for servicing multilayer and excessively longintermediate carriers 6.

[0057] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, the two outerhigh-performance palletizing devices 7 have insert stacks 27, 28, 29 oftheir own. The gripping means 31 services both intermediate carriers 6.The middle palletizing device 7 shown in greater detail in FIG. 2 isdesigned for lower capacity. It has two gripping means 31 located atspaced locations from one another for one intermediate carrier 6 eachassociated with them. Common insert stacks 27, 28, 29 with a grippingmeans 30 operating in both directions is arranged between the grippingmeans 31. This services both palletizing stations 26 as a result.

[0058] All gripping means 30, 31 in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1and 2 are arranged within the individual palletizing devices 7 and alsoon a common cross arm 20 serving the entire unit. The insert stacks 27,28, 29, the palletizing stations 26 and the end positions of theintermediate carriers 6 are correspondingly arranged in one row next toone another.

[0059] The palletizing stations 26 are joined by a pallet conveyor 32each, which operates in the longitudinal direction of the row and joinsa cross belt, preferably with the interposition of a waiting position.Two adjacent pallet conveyors 32 each are connected to one another viathe cross belt and are together connected to a packaging device 33.Additional waiting and piling positions may be provided. The cross beltmay also be used for the rear-side loading of the insert stacks 27, 28,29, as is shown in FIG. 2, which is somewhat modified in this respect.

[0060] The finished pallets 35 formed at the palletizing station 26 arefed via longitudinal and cross belts to a packaging device (not shown)and wrapped, e.g., with a plastic film here and optionally strapped forstabilization. The packed pallets 35 are made ready for picking up inthe adjoining discharge station and are brought from here, e.g., into anintermediate storage facility and farther to the filling unit (notshown).

[0061]FIGS. 5 and 6 show variants of the collecting device 4 and of thetransfer unit 5. In both cases, the transfer unit 5 can take over thebottles 3 from the bottle conveyors 8 directly with the gripping means17 and without the interposition of a piling table 12. The row grippers18 are arranged at the same level as the bottle conveyors 8, so that thebottles 3 can be pushed over into the row grippers 18 directly in thehanging position. The adjusting means 19 now permit the row grippers 18to be adapted and accurately positioned at the bottle conveyors 8. Inparticular, a plurality of bottle grippers 18 may be loadedsimultaneously. In the embodiment shown, the gripping head 17 has twobottle grippers 18. However, their number may also be higher as desired.Their number will preferably correspond to the number of lines 9 andbottle conveyors 8. However, their number may also be different.

[0062] The intermediate carriers 6 in FIGS. 5 and 6 may correspond tothe embodiment according to FIG. 4. However, FIG. 6 shows yet anothervariant. The intermediate carriers 6 comprise there trays open on oneside with a bottom plate and three carrier edges 22 running around in aU-shaped pattern. Instead of the missing fourth carrier wall, atransversely movable pusher 43 with a suitable drive 44 is provided onthe loading side. The pusher 43 forms the lateral bottle guide 21together with the existing carrier edges 22. The intermediate carrier 6or its bottom plate has no guide pins 23 standing upright in the middlearea in this embodiment.

[0063] The pusher 43 is also used to position and push together thebottles 3 on the intermediate carrier 6. The rows 14 of bottles can bedeposited by the transfer unit 5 at mutually spaced locations from oneanother on the intermediate carrier 6. The pusher 43 is somewhatwithdrawn for this purpose and offers the necessary free space. Thepusher 43 subsequently moves forward again and pushes the deposited rows14 of bottles onto the rows of bottles already introduced and forms thenecessary packing density of the bottle layers 25. Time is saved in thisprocedure for the transfer unit 5, which is advantageous for thepreferred direct loading of the bottle grippers 18 at the bottleconveyors 8. In addition, the intermediate carriers 6 can take up anybottle format as a result. The carrier edges 22 are also designed assmooth walls without guiding profiling in this case. The arrangement ofthe bottles is shown in FIG. 6 only partially and purely schematically.

[0064] The fourth carrier wall may be eliminated for the furtherconveying of the intermediate carriers 6. The bottle layer 25 is nowguided on three sides by means of the three remaining carrier edges 22.As an alternative, the pusher 43 may also be designed as a fourthcarrier wall and be connected to the drive 44 in a correspondinglydetachable manner. The carrier wall is unhinged during loading and itacts as a pusher plate. At the end of the loading, it is again connectedto the intermediate carrier 6 in a suitable manner.

[0065] Another variant of the bottle handling system 1 is also possiblein terms of the intermediate carrier circulation. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 3, the intermediate carriers 6 circulate within the bottlehandling system 1 between the collecting device 4 and the palletizingdevice 7. They are permanently loaded and unloaded, and they may also bestored temporarily in the loaded or empty state. It is also possible inthis variant to use the intermediate carriers 6 to form the pallet 35and to allow them to leave the bottle handling system 1. In this case,the intermediate carriers 6 preferably have the bottle guides 21 shownin FIG. 4. In addition, the intermediate carriers 6 may also havesuitable mutual guides in order to be able to be stacked one on top ofanother to form a pallet in a simple and self-centering manner. Thepalletizing device 7 with its robot 11 correspondingly also has asuitable design for this purpose and grips the entire intermediatecarrier 6 instead of the individual bottle layers 25 and transfers itfor pallet formation. In this variant, the intermediate carriers 6circulate in a larger circulation, which leads via the filling unit, thewholesaler or wholesalers and the customers and back to the bottlehandling system 1 via a reprocessing or cleaning unit. The circulatingintermediate carrier 6 now takes up not only the empty bottles 3 loadedon in the bottle handling system 1, but also the full bottles after thefilling.

[0066] Various modifications of the embodiment shown and described arepossible. The bottle conveyor 8 may have any desired, suitable design.Instead of a pneumatic conveyor with the bottles 3 being conveyed in thehanging position, an upright conveyor with rollers, a conveyor belt orother suitable conveying mechanisms may be provided as well.Furthermore, the number of rows 14 of bottles in the area of the bottleconveyor 8 and of the row supports 12 or of the transfer units 5 mayvary. The number of rows also does not need to be always equal betweenthe said components. Corresponding statements may also be madeconcerning the gripping means 31 for transferring the bottle layers 25at the palletizing station 26. In one variant, the gripping means 31 cangrasp and transfer only part of the bottle layer 25. In the othervariant with excessively long intermediate carriers 6, it is possible tograsp a plurality of bottle layers 25 all at once. The bottle layer 25is as large as the area of the pallet bottom in the embodimentdescribed. This size is a matter of definition and can be modified.Different pallet sizes and/or bottle formats are sometimes alsoprocessed at a collecting and palletizing unit 2, so that theintermediate carrier 6 is filled only partly. The design of thetechnical components of the collecting and palletizing units 2,especially of the row support 12, the transfer unit 5, the palletizingdevice 7, the intermediate carrier 6, etc., is also variable. Inparticular, the gripping means for grasping the rows 14 of bottles mayhave a suitable design. The intermediate carrier 6 may be plate-like orhave any other suitable shape as a container or carrier for the bottlelayers.

[0067] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed in detail to illustrate the application of the principles ofthe invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodiedotherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for collecting empty bottles and forpalletizing the bottles, the device comprising: a bottle source feedinga plurality of empty bottles; an upstream collecting device for takingover the empty bottles being fed in, in one or more rows from saidbottle source and having at least one transfer unit with one or more rowgrippers for grasping a row of bottles at the neck of the empty bottlesor below a neck flange of the empty bottles; a conveyor extending adistance and having a portion disposed adjacent to said collectingdevice; one or more intermediate carriers having a bottom and being onsaid conveyor and being positionable adjacent to said collecting device,said transfer unit taking up the empty bottles in layers with said oneor more row grippers transferring the row of bottles onto saidintermediate -carrier by grasping a row of bottles at the neck of theempty bottles or below a neck flange of the empty bottles to form abottle layer a palletizing device, said conveyor extending to adjacentto said palletizing device for taking over bottles from saidintermediate carriers.
 2. The device in accordance with claim 1 ,wherein said conveying means moves to and fro.
 3. The device inaccordance with claim 1 , further comprising a storage facility providedfor the intermediate storage of said intermediate carriers.
 4. Thedevice in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said transfer unit and saidintermediate carriers are equipped with a bottle guide and each of saidintermediate carriers has walls extending up from said bottom.
 5. Thedevice in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said bottle source is abottle producer and said collecting device is arranged directly at saidbottle producer, said bottle producer including a bottle blowingmachine.
 6. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein saidgrippers include a plurality of laterally adjustable row grippers. 7.The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said intermediatecarrier is a plate like intermediate carrier with an intermediatecarrier bottle guide having a shaped carrier edge and a plurality ofguide pins in an inner area.
 8. The device in accordance with claim 1 ,wherein said intermediate carrier is a plate like intermediate carrierand said intermediate carrier bottle guide has a movable carrier edge.9. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said intermediatecarrier takes up several bottle rows.
 10. The device in accordance withclaim 1 , further comprising: an insert stack wherein said palletizingdevice has a palletizing station arranged adjacent to said insert stackfor inserting palletizing inserts to said intermediate carriers.
 11. Thedevice in accordance with claim 10 , wherein said palletizing device hasa separate gripping means for the palletizing inserts and the bottlelayers.
 12. The device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein saidpalletizing device includes a linearly multiaxial robot with cross armsand a robot gripping means that can be displaced as well as raised andlowered and wherein said transfer unit includes a linearly multiaxialrobot with cross arms and said grippers that can be displaced as well asraised and lowered.
 13. The device in accordance with claim 12 , whereinsaid gripping means of said palletizing device is displaceable at rightangles to the direction of feed of the bottles and of said intermediatecarriers and said grippers of said transfer unit are displaceable atright angles to the direction of feed of the bottles and of saidintermediate carriers.
 14. The device in accordance with claim 1 ,wherein said palletizing device has two palletizing stations placed atspaced locations from one another with separate gripping means forbottle layers and with an insert stack shared by each of said twopalletizing stations as well as with a gripping means for thepalletizing inserts, the gripping means being shared by the twopalletizing stations.
 15. The device in accordance with claim 1 ,wherein a plurality of collecting and palletizing devices are arrangednext to one another with common cross arms.
 16. A device for collectingempty PET bottles and for palletizing filled or empty PET bottles, thedevice comprising: a source of empty PET bottles; a conveyor; anupstream collecting device for taking over the empty bottles being fedin from said source in one or more rows, said collecting device havingat least one transfer unit with a gripper for grasping a row of the PETbottles from said source, lifting the grasped row by the neck of the PETbottles or by the neck flange of the PET bottles; a palletizing devicefor taking empty or full PET bottles and for palletizing groups of theempty or full PET bottles, said conveyor extending from adjacent to saidcollecting device to adjacent to said palletizing device; one or moreintermediate carriers having a bottom and being on said conveyor andbeing movable by said conveyor from adjacent to said collecting devicetransfer unit to adjacent to said palletizing device, said bottomreceiving empty bottles in rows with one or more row gripperstransferring the row of bottles onto said intermediate carrier by movingthe grasped row of bottles to over the intermediate carrier andreleasing the empty bottles with the bottles deposited on bottom. 17.The device in accordance with claim 16 , wherein said bottle source is abottle producer or a bottle conveyor.
 18. The device in accordance withclaim 16 , wherein a bottle filling unit is disposed along said conveyorto provide filled bottles in said intermediate carrier between saidtransfer unit and said palletizing device.
 19. The device in accordancewith claim 16 , wherein said conveying means circulates or movesbackwards and forwards.
 20. The device in accordance with claim 16 ,wherein said storage facility stores filled intermediate carrierscontaining filled or unfilled bottles.